Friday at Safari
Safari Steakhouse, 9430 Annapolis Road Lanham MD 20706

It was very cold - I got gas on the way.

When I arrived, Packy and the other equipment guys were there, but none of the band members was there. I hung out in the lounge. The guys playing pool were really friendly. After a bit, the manager came and turned the fireplace on. Godfather was the first band member to arrive. I talked with Godfather; he talked about how Jacques would now be playing a number of instruments that he had been producing with his keyboard. He also talked about how he learned to play, he mentioned one of his friends - will have to ask his name again. He also talked about a riot that occurred because a policeman on horseback got too close to someone during "Human Kindness Day".

Jacques ate with his girlfriend, Michon, in the lounge.

Familiar Faces
It has become the norm for me to watch the band perform from the side of the stage, since the large crowds make it harder to see otherwise. The opening line up for the first set was: Mike, Adia, Donnell, DP, Dwayne, Doc, Godfather, Jammin' Jeff and Smoke.
1) Miles Davis' Tutu
2) Instrumental
Jacques was not ready to play; he got some stuff from Jeff to play. BJ arrived during the set.
3) Alicia Keys' Diary
4) Adia-led ?
5) Mike-led Stevie Wonder's Golden Lady
6) Doc then complained that he couldn't hear, so they adjusted Mike's mic. While testing it, Mike did a riff from Gene Chandler's Duke of Earl.
7) Mike-led John Legend's ?
8) Mike-led Ruff Endz' Someone to Love You
9) Mike-led O'Bryan's Lady, I Love You
Mike than joked with a female fan in a low voice, saying "Thank You, Baby!"

During the break, Jacques said he wasn't supposed to play, that he was just there to watch, Friday is Charlie's night. I talked with Godfather about how Charlie plays for free; Godfather said that shows that Charlie is dedicated. I teased Teago about his shirts and asked if he and Kato were interviewing Jacques, he said, "No, just rapping."

In the second set, Charlie came in as the second percussionist. They performed Snoop's Drop It Like It's Hot and Rare Essence's Body Moves. The set cranked.

During the second break, I talked with Danielle (Wellfhed), a female friend of Kato's, about teasing Teago. She talked about why Teago was such a big fan of Jimi Hendrix. I told them about Greg Tate's book, "Midnight Lightning: Jimi Hendrix and the Black Experience" - that talks about Hendrix as more than just a musician. I also told them about Tate's band, Burnt Sugar, and how they could watch a DC performance online. Jacques talked with Charlie.

When the break was over, Kato told Dwayne, "To get in there" and Dwayne responded "Thanks, boss!" In just the time I talked with Kato, they already started playing.

In the third set, they performed Rare Essence's Work the Walls and Donnell followed it with a medley, again including Rick James' Mary Jane and Donna Summer's Love to Love You Baby among the songs. There was definitely a time I zoned out to the music. Packy, who played a tambourine, tried to convince Jacques to come up and take if from it him to no avail. Jay Gotti guest rapped as did DJ Flava (aka GoGo Rudy), rapping. "Put your hands in the air and shake your derriere!" I believe I saw Scuba Steve rapping as well, but I'm not sure. DeeDee and Michelle arrived during the set. Los danced, and some of the people laughed at how fast his moves were. Donnell mentioned the upcoming FF family dinner on Sunday. Mike and Kato joned on each other after the set was over.